In line with the recently amended Law on Children Protection, every administrative unit in Mongolia is now mandated to employ a dedicated social worker for child and family welfare. To ensure the proper training and orientation of these new social workers, a comprehensive training program commenced yesterday.

833 professionals who will be deployed to khoroos and rural areas participated in the training. Around 40 experts, including professors from 13 accredited universities specializing in social work, as well as senior officials and specialists from child and family welfare departments, shared their expertise and best practices during the sessions.

The three-day training program covers five core subjects: an introduction to social work, methodologies for working with families, preventive services to support child and family development, case management, and professional leadership in social work.

Following the training, the social workers are expected to assume their positions this week. Job descriptions tailored to the roles of child and family social workers have already been developed and disseminated to relevant agencies across 21 provinces and nine districts in Ulaanbaatar City.

Earlier this year, 1,291 individuals applied to become social workers in khoroos and rural areas. Among the applicants, 1,021 hold bachelor’s degrees, 101 have master’s qualifications, and two possess doctoral degrees. Approximately 46.8 percent of the applicants have prior experience in child protection services. After a rigorous selection process, 833 candidates were chosen for the positions.

To further strengthen the capabilities of these social workers, regional capacity-building training sessions have been scheduled. From December 3 to 5, sessions will be held in Bayankhongor, Darkhan-Uul, Dundgovi, Khovd, Khuvsgul, and Khentii provinces for rural social workers. Meanwhile, from December 15 to 21, orientation training for district-based social workers will take place in Ulaanbaatar.

This strategic training initiative aims to equip social workers with the knowledge and skills required to address the diverse needs of children and families and contribute to the effective implementation of Mongolia’s child protection policies.